December is a busy time for college football programs, regardless of whether there's a bowl game to prepare for. With the creation of the early signing period last year, December is the most hectic recruiting month of the year, as coaches are scrambling to finish off the bulk of their class before National Signing Day in February.

But December is also a time of evaluation for juniors and draft-eligible sophomores pondering their professional futures.

Ole Miss coach Matt Luke tried to get ahead of this evaluation period. After the Egg Bowl, Luke met with every draft-eligible underclassman on his roster and his family to try to determine what is best for each respective kid's future.

"We sat down, we went through all the pros and cons and just made sure they had all the information," Luke said. "These are young men that are going to be Ole Miss Rebels for life and we want them to do what's best for them and their families. So we'll try to advise them and give them what they think is best and make a collective decision."

As of Nov. 30, the only Ole Miss underclassman to definitively declare for the 2019 NFL Draft is wide receiver DK Metcalf, who declared last Friday afternoon, hours after the Egg Bowl. Luke said Metcalf's declaration was a different situation than most. Since Metcalf has been injured since October, he's had more time to consider his options, leading to the choice to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility in Oxford.

Beyond Metcalf, though, there's a long list of Rebels who could declare early for the draft. The headliners of the group are wide receiver A.J. Brown and offensive tackle Greg Little, both of whom have received first-round grades from a variety of outlets. Walter Football ranks Brown as the No. 1 receiver prospect for the Class of 2019 and Little as the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect, while ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. lists Brown as his No. 3 wide receiver and Little as his No. 2 tackle.

Walter Football's most recent 2019 mock draft has Little being selected No. 4 by the New York Jets and Brown at No. 9 by the Buffalo Bills.

When asked about his conversations with Brown and Little, Luke said these chats don't resemble a pitch he'd give to a recruit about coming to Ole Miss. Rather, these conversations are built on half a decade worth of camaraderie and life lessons that can't be cheapened into a "please come back" speech.

"These are real relationships and you want what's best for that family," Luke said. "Obviously you would love for those guys to come back and help you in this program. But in the end, these are people that you've got five year relationships with. And in the end you want what's best for them and their families."

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft is Jan. 14, 2019. Metcalf is one of eight underclassmen to officially declare thus far, along with big names such as Ohio State's Nick Bosa, Michigan's Rashan Gary and Houston's Ed Oliver.